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Iran Cuts Ties with IAEA After US-Israel Airstrikes, Inspectors Exit Country
Iran suspends cooperation with the IAEA after US-Israeli strikes on nuclear sites. UN inspectors leave via Armenia. Tehran demands “guaranteed security” before resuming ties.
ND
by News Desk
2025-07-04
Iran Cuts Ties with IAEA After US-Israel Airstrikes, Inspectors Exit Country

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that a group of its inspectors has departed Iran following Tehran’s suspension of cooperation with the nuclear watchdog. The decision came in the wake of a 12-day military conflict involving Israel and the United States, during which Iranian nuclear and military sites were bombed.

In a statement posted on X, the IAEA said its staff had returned to headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and Director-General Rafael Grossi stressed the “crucial importance” of resuming monitoring and verification talks with Iran.

 

🔍 Inspectors Leave Quietly by Land

According to Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, the inspectors did not fly out of Iran but instead crossed into Armenia by land in recent days. It is unclear how many inspectors left or if some remain in the country. The move signals what analysts are calling the start of a new era of “nuclear ambiguity” in Iran.

 

💥 Backdrop: Israel & US Strikes on Nuclear Facilities

The crisis stems from events beginning June 13, when Israeli airstrikes targeted key Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing senior commanders and scientists. The US later joined, deploying bunker buster bombs to hit Iranian nuclear infrastructure.

The Trump administration claimed the attacks had significantly set back Iran’s nuclear programme.

In response, Iran’s parliament passed a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, which was then ratified by the Guardian Council. On Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian formalized the decision.

 

📜 Iran's Stance: Sovereignty First

According to Guardian Council spokesperson Hadi Tahan Nazif, the bill reflects a commitment to “national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The legislation mandates that cooperation will remain suspended “until security of nuclear sites and scientists is guaranteed.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also rejected Grossi’s request to visit bombed nuclear sites, calling it “meaningless and possibly malign.”

“Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people, and its sovereignty,” said Araghchi.

 

🌍 International Reaction

The U.S. State Department labelled Iran’s move as “unacceptable,” urging Tehran to “reverse course”. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce reaffirmed Washington’s stance that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon, but acknowledged there is no conclusive proof from either U.S. intelligence or the IAEA that Iran is pursuing one.

Iran continues to assert that its nuclear programme is strictly for civilian purposes, and it remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) — at least for now.

 

🧭 What Lies Ahead?

With IAEA oversight suspended and nuclear inspections halted, Iran's nuclear activities may now go unmonitored, heightening fears of further escalation in the region. The world watches closely as diplomatic efforts to re-establish trust — or prepare for more conflict — unfold in the days to come.

 
Tagged:

MiddleEastTensions

USIran

NuclearCrisis

IranIAEA
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